Too attractive?

There are plenty of reasons to get fired, but an Iowa woman experienced one that I’m unlikely to encounter: she was deemed “too attractive.”

Melissa Nelson was a dental hygienist for Dr. James Knight in Des Moines, Iowa. She worked for him for almost ten years. Their friendship grew to the point where they were texting each other behind his wife’s back. When the dentist’s wife found out, she put it in black and white terms: “She was a big threat to our marriage.”

What’s a man to do in this situation? Dr. Knight decided to fire her because he “feared he would try to have an affair with her down the road.”

The dentist’s decision has stirred controversy. Ms. Nelson sued for wrongful termination. Some have criticized him for punishing her for his inability to control himself. Other have praised him for being willing to place his marriage above anything else.

I’m not sure what I think about his decision. For what it’s worth, the state Supreme Court found unanimously in his favor that he was within his rights to dismiss her. I suspect that if he had taken steps 9 years earlier to guard his marriage, its preservation wouldn’t have come at such a high cost. Relational boundaries would have made better prevention and a less painful cure.

Regardless, I am impressed. Too many men ignore the risks they invite into their lives to their own peril. “What could possibly go wrong?” is the question we tend to ignore. This story makes me think about 2 Timothy 2:22: “Flee youthful lusts.” When was the last time you sacrificed something to protect your family and your soul?